Phil Steele’s ACC Atlantic forecast makes Clemson clear favorite

Phil Steele unveiled his 2021 ACC Atlantic forecast, where Clemson is the heavy favorite ahead of a three-way tie for second. Florida State continues to struggle to regain its expected form and hopes to turn things around, despite a tough schedule. With every team seemingly playing for second in this division, the meetings between evenly matched teams will become much more important.

Here is a look at the ACC Atlantic forecast in 2021:

7. Syracuse: The Orange finished last in the ACC in yards per game in 2020, going 1-8 for the year. Syracuse is on a run of four losing seasons in five years since Dino Babers took Syracuse on its best run in recent memory. Now Babers is on the hot seat and needs to find a spark on this 2021 roster. The team brought in Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader to compete with Tommy DeVito at quarterback, hoping to find an offensive spark.

T5. Louisville: The Cardinals had a disappointing season that was derailed by turnovers in 2020 but looks to bounce back with an easier schedule in 2021. Louisville lost three of their top four weapons on offense but have veteran players to fill those holes around quarterback Malik Cunningham. The defense is also losing production, with five of the top seven tacklers leaving. While the schedule gets easier, it will be difficult to fill all the gaps in the team quickly and efficiently.

T5. Florida State: The Seminoles have never been ranked this low by Steele. A combination of past struggles and scheduling misfortune has left Florida State in the bottom half of the ACC Atlantic. This year’s team is expected to show improvement from year one under Mike Norvel but drawing Clemson and Miami from the ACC Coastal added to the yearly meeting with Florida has analysts skeptical they can get up to speed quick enough. The Seminoles will look to use this season as a building block for the future.

T2. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were just 4-5 last season but returns 20 starters from 2020. Steele moved Wake Forest from No. 104 to No. 27 this season on his experience chart. Despite the losing record last season, the team gained valuable experience and showed growth late in the season.

T2. Boston College: The Eagles have made huge strides under Jeff Hafley already. The team went 5-5 last season but returns 17 starters, including quarterback Phil Jurkovec. With a full offseason to prepare and implement his system, Hafley will feel good about the race for second in the ACC Atlantic.

T2. NC State: Steele ranks NC State No. 4 in the ACC and has them tied for No. 2 in the Atlantic Division this season. The Wolfpack went 7-3 last season and returns 19 starters. Their schedule is pulling them down to the field in this projection as they draw Miami and North Carolina from the Coastal division. There is a wide net when projecting their final record, with Steele picking anywhere between 10-2 and 5-7.

1. Clemson: The Tigers the undisputed No. 1 team in the ACC Atlantic forecast. Despite losing Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, Clemson still project well ahead of any other team. Sophomore D.J. Uiagalelei takes over at quarterback with senior wide receiver Justyn Ross expected back from injury. The defense returns most of its core with a few new faces but looks poised to improve on last year’s performance.